One Ring to Rule Them All
by Theta'sWorstNightmare
Summary: Lucy watched the colours that swirled through the ring in the crack formed by the Rift's activity that was splitting the ground around her. She laughed, spreading her arms. Her Harry was coming back to her. She could see his beautiful brown eyes and manic smile in her mind. She was imagining how she was going to welcome him with an embrace and a kiss
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you will recognise here, I'm merely playing around with the characters. Torchwood belongs to Russell T Davis. The characters belong to the writers and their respective actors. I don't claim anything but the idea for this story to be mine. I do not make money from the stories I write they are solely for my own and the readers here entertainment. **

**A/N: If someone is reading my other story Take a Look at the Lawman, will notice that this story is part of it. However since the other story is a Life on Mars/Doctor Who crossover in which I included Torchwood, I decided to separate the Torchwood bits and turn them into a story of its own right, because it was threatening to overwhelm the other story. It might seems a bit cheesy from me to copy my own story and re-post it like a new one to another fandom, but I think that with a bit of changing it could actually turn into a separate story.**

**Cardiff, Wales 2008**

The sun was just rising in Cardiff as it tried to push its way through the normal Welsh cloud and rain of the early morning. It was the beginning of another usual day in the city, with the regular flow of people running around, drowsily sipping on their coffees before hurrying towards work.

Under the water tower of Roald Dahl Plaza, away from the eyesight of the citizens and among the buzz of the alien tech and cutting edge computers, another normal day was starting for the personnel of Torchwood. Well as normal a day as Torchwood could have given the line of work they were in.

Apart from the hum of the machines the place was quiet and could very well have been completely deserted, if you didn't spot the figures of four people completely oblivious to the world around them. Toshiko, a young Japanese woman was scanning the data on the screen of her high tech computer and analysing the information, which looked as if only she could understand it.

On her left on another work station with screens around it, another young woman, the ex-police officer Gwen Cooper was running through the CCTV footage from the previous night. Further down in other levels of the Hub was the medical station. It held an iron examination table in the centre and very bored Doctor Owen Harper, poking at something that looked very much dead.

All this was observed by the head of Torchwood Three, Cardiff, Captain Jack Harkness. Jack was sitting at the desk in his office, trying to concentrate on doing some paperwork, but instead being constantly distracted by the empty place where, not so long ago, a hand in a jar used to be. He sighed and moved his attention back to the paperwork. Moments later a man dressed in an immaculate three piece, dark grey suit entered the through the glass door of Jack's office. A cup with streaming, black coffee was placed on the desk to Jack's right and the man left the office quietly, almost unnoticed.

Jack smiled to himself and took a sip from the strong coffee. Yes another normal day at Torchwood. That was until the monitor at the centre of the Hub started to spark and send abnormal readings on to Tosh's computer. Suddenly everyone sprang into frenzy of motion. For the outside observer it might seem somewhat chaotic, but everyone did their job with absolute precision. Jack was out of his office the moment the first spark appeared from the rift.

"Tosh, put the monitors on high alert and scroll back to the last couple of hours. I want to see when the first anomaly started and why we missed the glitch!" Jack was in full work mode now.

"Already on it Jack." Toshiko Sato answered moving around on her work station and busying herself with all the charts and readings. She pressed various buttons on the keyboards, her finger moving at nearly the speed of the light. "Nothing abnormal on the readings, until the exact moment the rift sparked."

"Gwen, check the recent CCTV!" Jack then ran up to the sliding wheel door and opened it to shout to the man inside the tourist shop's office. "Ianto, call the police, see if there are any reports of strange creatures or persons lurking around the city!"

Jack went to Tosh next and looked over her shoulder at the screen.

"Nothing, I can detect Jack, I'm sorry." She shook her head. "There are a few changes up and down in activity, but nothing too significant or strong enough to cause this."

"Ok, keep monitoring and let me know if anything changes." Jack pushed himself from the back of her chair and made his way to Gwen.

"Anything on the CCTV?"

Gwen looked up from the screen to him and sighed. "Nothing on the CCTV either. Just normal people going on their way, the most interesting thing so far is the occasional mugger."

Owen finally left the medical area and joined the others in the central Hub.

"So, everyone has a task, but me." Dr Harper whined. "You think. I'm incapable of working with the rift, Jack?"

"'Course not!" Jack smiled thinly at him. "If I ever need the rift open, I'll be sure to ask the expert, Owen."

"I saved you and Toshiko from being stranded in 1942, in case you forgot."

"Yeah…" Jack answered. Of course he couldn't forget, but annoying Owen Harper was too much fun to miss. "Only you seemed so engrossed in sticking your tools into the time vortex worm and I didn't want to ruin your fun."

Jack's smile grew. It was hard enough sometimes to work with relatively amicable Owen Harper, an annoyed Owen was next to impossible to handle.

"Found anything you like there?"

"No!" grunted Owen, as he flung himself on the sofa.

The streets of Cardiff were cold and wet and not the most pleasant place to walk through if you didn't have to. You should at least be dressed warm and water proofed. The autumn was at its peak and the weather, although not yet biting cold, was far from comfortable. Yet strangely enough, through one of the many streets, there was a woman walking dressed only in light red, backless dress, with bare shoulders, her feet were without shoes, but this weather did not seem to affect her.

She was walking almost in a trance, seemingly just floating through the streets, towards the Millennium Centre. Her look was near vacant and she was swaying slightly as if the wind would pick her thin body up at any moment and blow her away with the fallen leaves from the trees. Her blond hair was flying around her face and shoulders, the hair might once have been neatly and stylishly clipped in a loose bun or around the temples, but now it was in complete disarray. But much stranger than all was the fact, that despite this woman's strange appearance, no one paid her any mind.

Lucy was determinate to reach the Roald Dahl Plaza and do her part of the work. She knew what exactly was expected from her. She gripped the ring in her hand tightly until her frozen fingers ached, but she knew that soon everything will be alright. Soon, when her Harry was back, the cold would go away. Soon, she will be warm in her husband's arms once again. She wished the rain would stop, it was ruining her hair and her dress; and she was in the red one, because her Harry always loved her in this colour.

She knew, others were mean to resurect him, but she knew that if the others did it they will bring back the Master, not her Harry. She needed Harry, her loving husband, the one who found in her something that no one else did. She didn't want the Master, he wasn't her Harry, he was mad and uncaring, and most importantly he forgot about her the moment he had his Doctor to play with. If she was careful, if she did it right, then she would have him back only for herself. He had explained to her about the rift and the Time Vortex, and they hoped that when she threw the ring into the rift, it would grant him his life back. If the Vortex could grant life to the Torchwood Captain, then it could do the same for her husband.

She had to hurry up, or she might miss the moment when the rift was weak, but she couldn't move any faster. Her legs were cold and felt heavy; everything seemed to move in slow motion, only she was flying through the streets, between the buildings and around the trees. The rain was beating down on her, biting into her bare skin and made her shiver, but she just kept going, she knew what she had to do. It was strange how the rain muffled not only the sounds but also colours. The trees with their missing leaves seemed even duller on this October morning than they ever had before. Only the occasional red (the red always seems to be such a strong and bright colour) stood apart from the rest, brighter than ever, almost as if grey and red were the only colours left in existence.

Meanwhile, back in the Hub, everyone was still trying to find the reason for the sudden rift activity but without much success.

The entrance door rolled open and Ianto joined the rest of the Torchwood in the main area. He held a tray with cups of coffee, to the great relief of everyone present. Sometimes the only thing that held the Torchwood team intact and sane was Ianto's famous coffee.

Gwen rubbed her eyes, which stung after staring at the screen and watching endless scrolls of CCTV footage. She sighed contently and took a sip from her cup, turning to the tea boy.

"Ianto, you are my saviour, always knowing what I need." Gwen smiled, and received a smile and a curt nod in reply.

"Nice coffee for a sore head and good sight for sore eyes, that's my Ianto Jones!" Jack Harkness winked at him, reaching for the cup of coffee.

Ianto didn't seem to be affected by any of the comments and not missing a beat, he turned to offer Toshiko her coffee, tossing over his shoulder at the Captain.

"This is sexual harassment, sir."

Looking back at her screen Gwen hastily put down her mug and zoomed in on the image.

"Jack!" She shouted. "Come and see this!"

Not only Jack, but almost the entire team apart from Tosh joined Gwen on her station. To Jack's utter disbelief, there on the screen was the image of a woman dressed in red, kneeling on the ground almost on top of the Hub.

"I don't believe this!" Jack exclaimed shaking his head. "How can she be here? She was in a mental hospital."

"Who is she, Jack?" Gwen asked surprised by her boss' reaction to this strange woman.

"Lucy Saxon, the late Prime Minister's wife." Ianto answered the question.

"Wasn't she the one who killed him?" Tosh asked, not leaving her work place even for a moment.

"Yes, and that's why, she can't be here. She is locked up." Jack sounded bit scared, but mostly angry, because Captain Jack Harkness did not do well with strange.

"Jack!" Tosh shouted from her place." The rift is powering up. The readings are going off the scale."

Jack left Gwen and ran to Tosh's place to look at the rift activity readings; they were changing constantly and the rift was opening again. Moving around trying to find the cause, he missed the woman placing a ring into a crack of the pavement, which coincided with the exact time the rift opened.

The ground started to shake and the light in the rift started to move up and down. There were red lights flashing and the Hub was filled with the blaring of alarms.

"Ianto, go and try to turn off this noise!" Jack shouted, trying to make himself heard over the alarms. "Tosh, stay here and keep trying to find the cogs to close the rift back! Gwen, Owen, with me and get your guns ready!"

**London, Parallel Earth 2007**

Torchwood Institute had received a signal for one other rift activity in the last three days. This time, however the reason was almost impossible to explain. They had run every test and scan they could, but the only source of energy remotely similar to the one that could explain the opening of the time-space rift was a man lying in a bed in a hospital in Manchester.

There was nothing remarkable about the man apart of him being in a prolonged coma but able to react to stimuli or make small muscle moves from time to time. He was registered there as Sam Tyler, the local DCI, who was involved in a car accident a year ago. Since then Sam had just never woken up. He was constantly being visited by his mother or his girlfriend, who would talk to him all the time in the hope that he would hear them and respond somehow. On rare occasions he would twitch or move a finger, once he even smiled, but never opened his eyes.

Torchwood decided that however unusual or unimportant this seemed in connection to the rift they would have to monitor the man constantly. After the last big opening the Torchwood Institute in London decided to send two of their field agents to Manchester to take a closer look at this police chief.

The woman was making her way towards the hospital reception with an air of professional confidence, the arrogance of someone with a powerful position and the clearance to almost everywhere. The woman was young, but she had a stern and tough demeanor. Her features were set in cold professionalism, a polite smile appearing on her lips only when she reached the receptionists' desk. Her blonde hair pulled back in flawless neat bun, complimented her immaculate suit. She pulled her credentials from the inner pocket of her suit jacket and showed it to the receptionist.

"Torchwood Agents Tyler and Smith." The woman said curtly. "We are here to see a patient of yours in Hyde Ward. His name is DCI Sam Tyler."

The receptionist scrolled through the computer screen and then nodded to the woman.

"Agent Tyler?" She asked. "Am I right to think that you are a relation of DCI Tylers?"

"No, we are not related." Agent Tyler answered coldly.

"Then I'm sorry ma'am, but I can't let you see him. He is in I.C.U. Only relatives and close friends are allowed there." The receptionist answered politely.

"Look lady…" Agent Tyler said calmly suppressing her anger. "We are here to do our job, and we will do it with or without your help. If you assist us we could spare each other a lot of time and headaches." She finished firmly, putting her hands on the reception's desk.

'Bloody Torchwood', the receptionist thought. Always thinking that they are on top of everything.

"Ma'am, sir, you don't understand. I can't let you go in there!" The receptionist stood her ground. "You don't have authorisation to disturb our patients."

"You will find out that Torchwood had authorisation to do anything that is required, if we see fit, in the name of protecting our Earth." Agent Tyler said and then strode along the corridor, not waiting to be given permission or directions.

"Mickey, are you going to stay there and gape at that girl or are you coming with me?" Tyler snapped at her dark skinned partner.

He had to jog to catch up with her fast stride. She had become so different he mused, sometimes it irritated him how cold and calculatingly professional she had become. He could not believe that once this woman was a lively teenage girl with the bright smile. It had been only a couple of years ago, but it seemed like an age to him now, or more like some wistful dream.

"Rose babe, we should have waited for her to tell us where he is." Mickey spoke when he caught up with her. "We don't even know where this Hyde ward is."

"That is Tyler to you, when we are working in public." She told him firmly, and then nodded. "We will find the ward on the maps and then find his room from the nurses."

Mickey cringed at the tone of her voice, telling him off for calling her Rose during work time.

"Sorry ma'am!" Mickey saluted. "You have changed so much." He said sadly as an afterthought.

"The world has changed Agent Smith." She turned sharply towards him. "Everything has changed, Mickey." She then added softly.

In the end they didn't need to ask the nurses for Sam Tyler's room, because the moment they reached the Hyde ward their scanner started to beep in high alert.

"I think we found him." Mickey murmured. "And it looks like it's just in time for some really strong signal emission."

They entered the room to see an unconscious man, around his mid to late thirties, lying on a bed surrounded by monitors. He seemed almost serene. Despite this the scanner was rapidly going off the scale.

"I don't understand." Mickey frowned. "I can't see anything unusual with this guy but come and look at the readings."

**Cardiff, Earth 2008**

Captain Jack Harkness checked his gun and with a determined stride, approached the lift. It was good that it had a perception filter, covering the particular square in the ground outside and making them practically invisible to the world around. It came in handy in situations like this when they needed the cover.

He was shortly followed by scared looking but determined Gwen Cooper and Dr Owen Harper, armed to the teeth. Jack lifted and eyebrow at Owen and smirked.

"I said take your guns, not prepare for all-out war." He could never resist a comment. "What do you think one woman can do to you Owen?"

Gwen snorted in amusement, which much to his colleagues delight, made Owen even more irritated. He was going to answer with a jab of his own, but right at that moment the whole base shook and Gwen swayed dangerously, only Jack's arms around her waist preventing her from falling off the pavement square that was the Torchwood lift.

Myfanwy- Torchwood's pet pterodactyl swept around the place, frightened she swooped down, knocking Ianto off his feet.

"Ianto!" Gwen shouted form above.

Ianto dropped the phone in mid conversation with the local police station, with a small yelp of pain. He clutched his torn shoulder and tumbled down the few steps from Jack's office to the main Hub area.

Gwen was ready to jump, not even thinking about the drop, at that moment Jack's grip on her tightened even further. He held on her already anticipating her that she would act on the spur without giving herself time to think through.

"Get us back Jack!" she shouted at him.

Jack shook his head refusing to comply. Did she think he didn't want to just go back and help? Of course he did, but there were more important things to take care of, the ground above them was shaking, the Rift was powering up, all that didn't bond well for Cardiff city.

"We have more important work to, they can handle it," Jack told her firmly.

"For God's sake Jack," Gwen shouted starting to wriggle. "That's Tosh and Ianto down there with scared pterodactyl and the place falling apart. How is one crazy woman more important?"

Jack just looked at her not answering; he didn't loosen his grip either.

"I hate to say this, but Jack is right," Owen told her. "If that woman out there was connected to this Master guy and is able to cause this much trouble, then she is more important than them. Maybe it's time for the Tea-boy to show us that he could be useful to someone else other than our Captain." Owen smirked.

Seeing the cold glare Jack sent his way however, he stopped talking and pretended to check one of his guns again.

Lucy Saxon looked on in delight at the energy coming from the ground; it ripped through the air and was tearing the world apart. The wind swept her hair around her face; she could feel tingles of energy through her skin. She had completely forgotten about the cold now. Her body felt warmed from inside. She laughed, spreading her arms. Her Harry was coming back to her. She could see his beautiful brown eyes and manic smile in her mind. She was imagining how she was going to welcome him with an embrace and a kiss. Her beautiful Harry.

Lucy watched the colours that swirled through the ring and in the crack formed by the Rift's activity that was splitting the ground around her. The colours were constantly changing, bright and beautiful. There was a strong surge of power as the ground shook again violently again. Debris was now falling all around her from the buildings, but she did not notice them. All she could see and feel was the power that was spreading through her. She was more than warm now, she was burning alive from the inside; it felt as if she was being torn apart and then pieced back together.

The Torchwood trio jumped out of the lift, guns ready to confront any threat they expected to encounter, but all they could do was stay rooted on the street immediately outside the lift. They watched the woman helplessly as she shook and screamed. Their powerful guns were now useless, as was all their combat training. Gwen's eyes were wide with worry and compassion at the screaming woman. She had momentarily forgotten the worry for her colleagues watching the woman. However, too afraid to act, Gwen could only hope that Jack would do something. If someone can act without being affected by the power spilling out of the Rift it would be Jack.

Gwen gazed at Jack pleadingly, he knew what she wanted, and that was why he recruited her- to be the 'heart of Torchwood'-, but he couldn't feel any sympathy towards Lucy Saxon. Not after that year of hell that he had to endure in the hands of her husband. Not after watching Lucy dance happily on the Valliant's bridge with the Master while the Earth was burning below them. Still he had to do something if he wanted to find out what she was trying to do now.

Jack motioned to his team mates to stay behind and moved to grab Lucy and drag her away from the energy rift. He gripped her arms tight enough to bruise without caring much if it did. The year might have never happened now for everyone who wasn't on the Valliant when the Doctor reversed time, but this didn't mean Jack could forgive this woman, although ultimately she was the one who shot the Time Lord. She wriggled in his arms, screaming and kicking trying to get free and run back to the place where her husband's ring and only chance for resurrection was.

Down in the Hub, Ianto was throwing pieces of pizza covered in BBQ sauce to keep Myfanwy occupied and away from them. He was trying to stop the bleeding from his shoulder at the same time.

The place was a scene of pandemonium. Everything was shaking, debris was falling and stray paper sheets were flying around amidst the noise of a frightened dinosaur and the blaring of emergency alarms.

Toshiko Sato was keeping her post beside her work station, trying to crack the codes despite everything around her.

She shouted "Yes!" in excitement and typed one finale time on her computer. Suddenly the rift stopped the energy died down and all went still and quiet. After the chaos and the blazing noise the new deadly stillness seemed eerie and unreal. The last stray papers fell lightly to the floor and the only sound was the now frantic flap of the pterodactyl's wings.

Ianto took a sharp intake of breath, finally breaking the silence and bringing the world around back to normal. The screech of the dinosaur drew their attention back to the danger. Always able to think quickly in an emergency, Ianto ran to the kitchen for the stash of dark chocolate. It was the one thing that could keep the pterodactyl calm and content. Pteranodon, thought Ianto and then snorted. Yes, Ianto because is really important to get the semantics of the dinosaur's proper species when you are under the thread to be ripped apart by the very dinosaur.

Locating Myfanwy's preferred threat, he ran back out the kitchen and into the main Hub throwing the chocolate to Torchwood's pet. She snatched it in her beak in flight and turned around to her nest to eat it and probably lied there getting over the shock.

"We did it!" Tosh shouted exited and jumped from her seat. "We did it!"

"Yes." Ianto smiled. "We did it. Now if you don't mind I should go and clean my shoulder and my suit. There will be a lot of tidying up for me later." He said curtly and went to the medical bay.

The Torchwood trio and Lucy watched in disbelief as the light and energy abruptly ceased and the ground under their feet stilled. In the now quiet, the whine of sirens could be heard. Emergency services were already going around the city of Cardiff to assist the injured.

Gwen gave a triumphant cry and throwing her arms around Owen, kissed him before she could think.

When Lucy and Jack returned to the epicentre of power, the ring had vanished without a trace. There was no evidence that it had ever existed.

"NO!" Lucy shouted and tried to throw herself forward.

"You Mrs Saxon are going to be my guest for a long while." Jack said coldly, not even a trace of smugness at having a beautiful blonde in his arms. "I have a lot of questions that need to be answered by you."


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: The usual disclaimer still stands. I don't own anything, but a lap top to write this on.**

* * *

**Torchwood, Cardiff, Earth 2008**

Lucy was cowering on the floor in the corner of the cell, doing her best not to take notice of any of the occupants of the other cells. People thought that her Harry's Toclafane were scary, but they were just metal balls with cute childish voices. These here were brutes. She rocked back and forth, humming some nursery rhymes that her nanny used to sing to her when she had trouble sleeping as a child. But no matter what she did, she could still hear the snarls of the Weevils and the other creatures around her. Just when she thought that she might run out of nursery rhymes and go mad, the door to her cell was mercifully opened and the young Welshman in the nice suit led her outside into a white interrogation room.

The room contained only two chairs and a table in the middle, apart from a CCTV camera in one of the corners. Lucy thought that they might be leaving her there alone to see if the silence would be any more effective at making her crack than listening to the creature's howling. Unconsciously she started tapping on the table, a four beat rhythm that she had heard her husband tap so many times.

A while later the door opened and the same young man dressed in an immaculate three piece suit entered the room, bringing her a steaming cup of coffee.

"I'm surprised," Lucy said to Ianto, smirking. "The Captain doesn't strike me as a cavalier or as someone who cares for the comfort of his prisoners."

Ianto just smiled at her, calmly and politely.

"It wouldn't do to be blamed for mistreating the widow of the late Prime Minister," he told her.

"Of course. I should have known that the tea boy would look after his position," Lucy commented. "Maybe when my husband comes back, I might recommend you to him and spare your life." She smiled at him. The man still looked unaffected by her comments and threats. She wondered if Ianto possessed feelings at all. She would have thought he would have shown at least surprise or annoyance at her bold attitude, since she was nothing more than Torchwood's prisoner. But his face remained polite and empty of emotion.

"Very kind offer, but I'm afraid I have to decline, madam. Now, if you'll excuse me," he told her and opened the door. "The Captain should be with you shortly."

Lucy watched Ianto leaving the room and hastily made a decision to try and sweet-talk him into helping her. She couldn't just let him go without trying to speak to him.

"Wait, can't you stay a moment?" she asked him, using her best damsel in distress act, looking as vulnerable as she could. Her voice shook at the right moments and she even managed to shiver and sniff. "I've been locked in here alone, in the cold, with these creatures from nightmares, and now left in an empty white room. Please, I just need a bit of human company."

Ianto looked at her and hesitated for a moment. She wasn't sure if her pleading words or her helpless act had any effect on the young man, she couldn't read anything on his closed-up face. But then he turned his back again and said: "As I said, the Captain will be with you shortly, madam. You will have your company." Ianto nodded curtly and almost managed to close the door before he heard Lucy's voice again, this time more bold and arrogant.

"Do you think you will ever be something else than the tea boy around here?" Lucy asked, raising her voice, hoping that Ianto would hear her before he closed the door and that this would make him come back. "They will never appreciate what you do. I'm sure they all think that Captain Harkness hired you for your good looks."

It had the desired effect, as Ianto opened the door and returned to the room, looking for a moment distraught and nervous. But soon his closed off expression was back and he stood near the door in a cold professional way.

"What do you want, Mrs Saxon?" he asked coldly.

"I want you to help me get out of here and get my husband back. Then I can help you," Lucy told him, smiling at him with the most charming smile she could muster. Everyone thought her the dumb blonde that couldn't hold a single thought in her head without getting a headache. Well, let them think that, it did have its benefits. No one paid her much attention when they talked; even her Harry sometimes talked about his plans in front of her, thinking that she was harmless, not understanding anything. However, she was really good at listening and observing while playing the dumb bimbo. So she thought was Ianto. What was the saying about still waters running deep?

Ianto just chuckled in response, however, obviously thinking she was joking.

"You want me to betray my team and help you, just because you asked?" he said in disbelief.

"No, but I can talk to my husband when he is back. He can put you in charge of Torchwood," she offered. "Don't tell me you don't ever feel unappreciated here. They take you for granted, don't they? The tea boy that cleans everything up after them, or the archivist that always puts the papers in order, no matter how much they mess it up – and they never care how much time it takes you to do it all!"

Not receiving any response from the stony-faced, unmoving figure of the young Welshman, Lucy continued, refusing to be discouraged.

"Do you think they ever ask themselves how the Hub is so clean in the morning after leaving it as messed up, as a front line?" she kept pressing on, hoping for a reaction.

However, before he could respond to her words, the door opened and Jack Harkness entered the room and interrupted their conversation. He looked at Ianto intently, as if hoping to pull the details of what they were talking about right from Ianto's soul. Lucy wondered if Captain Harkness had been watching them on the CCTV and was skilled in reading lips. She wasn't too bothered if that was the case - she was a prisoner anyway. Ianto, however, was paler than usual.

"Go check the monitors for Rift activity," Jack dismissed Ianto curtly but firmly. He didn't start his interrogation until he was sure the archivist was out of the room.

"Trying to corrupt Mr Jones?" Jack asked, lifting an eyebrow. "I'll tell you now, it's not going to work. It doesn't matter how much money or how many high positions you offer him. He's very loyal to our team."

Lucy smiled sweetly. "Money!" she thought contemptuously to herself. Everyone always assumed that if you offered a person something, it would be money and success. But what she had learned from living in her father's house, and then with her husband, was that where money wouldn't work, envy and pent up frustration, manipulated in the right way, could work even better.

"Now tell me, sweetheart, how did you open the Rift? And please don't waste my time with playing dumb," Jack asked her straight away, not in the mood for matching wits or mind games.

"I didn't," Lucy answered, shaking her head.

"Bullshit!" Jack snapped and hit the table with his fist, making her jump on her seat. "I said I don't have time for playing. So unless you want to share your suite with a Weevil, you'd better start answering when I ask," he spat at her. Lucy could almost imagine him like some enraged Doberman, spitting saliva as he barked. It slightly amused her and a thin smile crept over her lips. She tried to hide it by lowering her head. It wouldn't help her to anger him further by finding him funny.

"I really didn't," she tried to sound serious, not amused. "I heard some people who are devoted to my husband talk about resurrecting him by placing his ring near the Rift when it starts opening. I talked them into using me because I wanted Harry not the Master. The Rift did give a reaction to the proximity of the ring but that is all I know." She decided to be sincere. It wouldn't hurt anyway, now she was caught and the ring was gone, who knows where.

Jack studied her features silently, outwardly looking completely relaxed, with his body leaning back into the chair and his arms crossed. He wasn't smiling, but there wasn't even a muscle moving or twitching in his face to suggest nerves. His eyes were as expressionless and closed as his face. Lucy wished that she could read this man; she wished she knew what he was thinking. Probably deciding that he would not be getting any more information from her, or at least not useful information, he let her go back to her cell.

"Please, not here, not with these creatures again." Lucy tried to appeal to Jack's humanity, but it had no effect, as he gave no indication that he even heard her. He locked the door and she wondered if the Torchwood 3 commander possessed any sense of humanity at all.

* * *

**Torchwood, Manchester, Parallel Earth, 2007**

Rose Tyler left the examination of Sam's medical chart to calmly make her way towards Mickey and his PDA. Whatever these readings were, they were - if not serious or dangerous – then at least curious enough to take his interest and confuse him. She looked over his shoulder at the readings and gasped, looking at Mickey and waiting for an explanation.

Mickey took his time studying the data before shaking his head at her and pocketing the PDA. All this secrecy was getting on Rose's nerves. She took a deep breath to calm herself and, trying not to take her frustration out on Mickey, she nodded and made her way towards the door.

"We're going to get this to the HQ and analyse the readings. I'm sorry, Tyler, but I can't make head or tail of it here. I'm a technician not a bio-scientist," Mickey told Rose, mindful of using her first name after her outburst earlier for calling her Rose.

All the time during the drive to HQ, the two Torchwood agents were silent, lost in their thoughts and speculation of what the readings from the hospital could mean and what their connection was to the Rift. Rose was trying not to get her hopes too high, because she had already been burnt once before by getting too hopeful about the possibility of breaching the void and reaching the Doctor, just to be brought back down with more pain. Now she couldn't help speculating on the possibility that what she had seen on the PDA was evidence of a bridge between the two worlds, but she tried to keep her interest in it professional rather than personal. She was wondering what Mickey was thinking about, but did not give in to her curiosity, keeping a cold distance from her friend. She didn't want to get too attached to him again, in case she found a way to get back to the Doctor. Now she could understand the Time Lord's reluctance to get attached to people he knew he would end up leaving behind. Too many goodbyes. She sighed when the car pulled into the parking lot in front of the tower that housed Torchwood's Manchester's branch.

Entering her office, Rose sat in front of her computer and started to analyse the Rift activity they had detected near the hospital. She wished she could understand the readings that the DCI in Manchester gave to the PDA. She didn't know the techs here as well as she knew her colleagues in London, but she hoped they would be quick to inform her when they found something. Her thoughts were cut off when she heard an urgent knock on the door. After a muttered "Enter," from Rose, a smartly dressed young technician came into the room, but didn't enter further or close the door.

"Agent Tyler you need to come and see the readings," the technician said urgently and exited without waiting for an answer, assuming that Rose would follow. She did, since she was no less eager to find out the results.

Entering the tech's room after him, Rose immediately made her way towards the work desk and looked at the computer. She frowned at the numbers and swirling lines on the screen, not able to understand a thing.

"What is it?" she snapped, annoyed that she had not had more time to study high technology and bio-data before starting to work for Torchwood.

"It's DCI Tyler's DNA matrix, but something is happening to it," the technician explained and pointed at the screen. "Do you see here? Look at the way it's splitting. Human DNA is a double helix, this one is trying to split into triple. It's still unsuccessful but it's connecting with some sort of energy. The DNA line is breaking and forming a succession of double helix, triple helix, double helix, double helix and so on."

Rose looked blankly at the screen for a moment and then shook her head.

"I don't know anything about genetics, so I have no idea what's going on, but what's the energy you mentioned?" she asked, still confused and not satisfied with the answers.

"It's Rift energy," the technician answered her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: The usual disclaimer applies here. I don't own, and hope you don't sue.**

**A/N: I'm sorry for the infrequent updates on all of my stories, but real life bit me in the butt for not giving it enough attention lately. **

**This is the chapter from which this story goes really different from 'TLLM'. Hope is going to be at least as much enjoyed. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first two chapters. And a special thank you to my wonderful beta Brownbug for her great work.**

* * *

Ianto left the room feeling strangely distressed by Mrs Saxon's words. _Was he so transparent in his feelings and insecurities?_ He had worked hard on projecting indifference and schooling his features into an absolutely impassive mask when needed. Time was, he could hide a Cyberman in the basement for the better part of six months and no one would pick up on it; however, this woman was able to see through his carefully constructed facade in just a few minutes with him So now, apparently, he had trouble telling a white lie - he wasn't sure whether it made him a better person or a fool. Was Lucy watching only him or the whole team? Or had her husband researched each of them thoroughly while he was preparing his campaign for PM?

He felt drained and nervous just from talking to the woman for less than ten minutes. How was he going to handle having her around for an indefinite period of time? Desperately, he did everything he could to prevent her words from affecting him, by reminding himself that he was an accepted part of the team now, Jack was taking him out on the field and he had even saved their lives and subdued the bad guys in the last ordeal with the alien whale. He had managed to get himself free from his bonds; it was thanks to Toshiko that he was able to do that now. He had been so angry at being helpless at Brecon Beacons and Toshiko had offered to teach him how to break free from rope bondage. He had been planning to try his new-found skills on Jack someday in the bedroom. The though made him smile, before he remembered the way Jack had gazed at him. There wasn't anything to feel guilty about. Maybe he should feel a bit embarrassed for listening to Lucy, but not guilty, he hadn't done anything. Although, he had contemplated it for a moment, or felt like he could. Was Jack able to sense this? Was that why he looked at him as if he was seeing something he didn't like?

For the first time in months, Ianto felt the urge for a smoke. He hurriedly made his exit through the Hub and up to the Tourist Office, to take out his hidden stash of cigarettes and calm his nerves. The moment he opened the door and lit up, a family with a couple of kids passed him and entered the shop. Sighing, he flicked his cigarette into the water and followed them. Had he been more on top of things, he would have hated himself for throwing things in the water. Usually, he would have thoroughly scolded anyone else for doing something so environmentally unfriendly. But at that moment he couldn't care less. He had some annoying tourists to deal with, when he could have been doing some real work after the quake that Cardiff suffered the previous night.

He cringed when he saw one of the kids touching one of the maps with greasy fingers, while her mother pretended not to notice. It should have been blatantly obvious how perfectly clean the Information Centre was, but the parents probably took it for granted that since they were on holiday, the onus was on the staff to keep everything tidy. Even if their little brats went around destroying it all. This kind of customers were the worst for him - the spoiled, annoying brats whose parents allowed them just about anything so they would keep quiet. Mind you, often the parents themselves were almost as bad, expecting him to bow and scrape to them the moment they entered the shop. In moments like this, Ianto really preferred the drunken English or American students. At least they were fun and hurried to leave.

He wondered when was the last time he had gone out with his friends and got plastered. Most people his age did that almost every night, or at least every weekend. He, on the other hand, lived as he was at least ten years older. It should bother him, but he wasn't surprised that it didn't. He didn't really have friends here in Cardiff, not since he left for London, intentionally distancing himself from everyone he had grown up with. And now all the friends he had in London were either dead or in a psychiatric hospital, somewhere he was probably heading to as well. At least dealing with the obnoxious family kept him away from Jack and the Hub, despite the sticky and greasy fingerprints the children would leave behind before they left. So, he smiled pleasantly at them and offered them all the information and post cards they wanted. Of course, the maps that he offered them were outdated - he hadn't had the time to restock on maps while running around the city chasing aliens - but it's not as if they will notice or care.

He cringed again, seeing the little boy taking his candy out of his mouth, rolling it around in his fingers, and then putting it back in his mouth, before smearing his hands all over the carefully polished wood on Ianto's desk. Maybe he should let his frustration out by telling the boy off, before pointedly wiping the desk, but then gave up on the idea, sure that it wouldn't really bother the boy's parents. When the family left, he contemplated going outside once again to try and have a smoke, but there was too much cover up work to do after the quake that had resulted from the opening of the rift. In the end, Ianto decided that it would do him some good to immerse himself in the well-practiced task of creating a cover story to divert the attention of citizens and police alike from the events in Cardiff. It had become a given, really. The population of Cardiff was so used to strange occurrences and the fact that they weren't safe in their city and homes, that they did not bat an eyelid at any explanation he happened to come up with. Ianto suspected that even if, just as an experiment, he told them that all this was happening because of aliens and a space-time rift, they would just nod and curse Torchwood for not acting on time. Torchwood was probably the worst kept secret in Cardiff, and it was no wonder, since the Captain liked to sweep into a room all swishing coats and flashing smiles and just stomp over everything. Not to mention the big ostentatious car with 'Torchwood' clearly engraved on the roof. No wonder they had to use more Retcon in a single year than some of the other teams had in the past for almost all of their history. He sometimes wondered why he bothered administering any Retcon at all.

* * *

Gwen was livid now that she knew who their visitor was. While Ianto was dealing with the cover up, or sulking up in his own domain of the Tourist Office, Gwen had done some research on Lucy Saxon. At first, everything appeared relatively normal. An easy and calm, if strict, childhood. Not too bright, married the promising young politician Harold Saxon and so on. Of course, everyone knew about her disastrous marriage and the end of it by her own hand. Officially, Lucy had been diagnosed as clinically insane. Unofficially, however, she had more motives to kill her husband than just her madness.

Gwen wasn't satisfied with the obvious answers. She was never one to stop until she got to the bottom of the things, and she had a gut-feeling that there had been more to it. The dignified, elegant woman, so in love with her husband, and always so immaculately stylish, simply didn't add up with the absent and manic looking woman in the cells. Lucy Saxon looked broken, and walked as if living in a dream, when just a few weeks ago she had apparently been happy and the epitome of the perfect wife. Not being able to discover the truth irked Gwen more than anything else, so she bribed Tosh, by promising her everything she could if the Japanese woman would use her technical genius to dig deeper. It paid off. Tosh had an unequalled ability to enter just about anywhere and rarely could she be stopped if she was determined to see a file, no matter how strongly encrypted it was.

Before long, she had broken into the UNIT classified records and pulled the real file on Lucy Saxon, which was quite different from the official one. It spoke of terrors and a year that never happened, of fires in the sky and slaughter and of human heroics, such as the tale of Martha Jones walking the Earth.

"You owe me big time for this, Gwen," Tosh had said sternly, but Gwen could see the fire in her eyes, the growing excitement at being able to opens something so strongly locked. "If they detect or catch me, I'll be done for."

"They won't, Tosh, you're too good," Gwen said, grinning at her. She thanked the technician and almost ran towards Jack's office, in the hope of confronting him in there about Lucy and what the implications of her arrival were to the team.

Unfortunately, Jack was already leaving in somewhat of a hurry. Probably in a rush to find his lover and talk to him, Gwen thought. She had already guessed they had quarrelled, going by the way Ianto had left earlier. Well, she could understand the Captain wanting to placate his lover, but right now they had business to do, and Gwen needed to talk to him. He could attend to the personal matter later. She extended her hand and caught the sleeve of his great-coat, stopping him in his tracks. He threw her an annoyed look, but stopped nevertheless, and waited mutely to see what she had to say. Gwen knew that maybe she should ask him to go to his office for some privacy, but as bad as it might have seemed in the eyes of the others, she didn't have any problem in confronting him in front of everyone else - even sometimes to the point of being insubordinate. After all, that was why he had hired her, to question his decisions. And the others needed to know the truth as well, no more secrets.

"Jack," she said firmly, determined not to waver under his penetrating and cold look. "Tell me about Lucy Saxon and the Master."

She asked the question gently and carefully, with all the soft reassurance she had learned in her police work when talking to victims. She was pursuing the truth, which was her main reason to ask, but she had seen his distress and she couldn't leave someone in that much pain without trying to comfort them. Especially someone she cared about as much as Jack.

His stormy blue eyes gazed at her intently, and almost made her squirm and lose her resolve in asking him. Still, it was done now, and Gwen Cooper wasn't one to quit that easily. Jack should know that by now, and not bother trying to intimidate her with his silence and stern glare. So she stared back at him, all soft lines and huge doe eyes, returning his hard stormy glare with soft compassion, covering determined stubbornness.

"Please, Jack," she pleaded, laying a gentle hand on his upper arm. "We need to know what's going on. _I_ need to know."

She watched as Jack fought an inner battle with himself over the reasons for and against telling her what she wanted to know. He puffed out an exaggerated breath and nodded towards his office, where he followed her and closed the door behind them. Jack leaned on the glass for a moment, before and making his way towards his desk and his chair, gesturing for her to take a seat in the chair on the other side. Gwen suddenly felt nervous. The seating arrangements reminded her too strongly of the times she had been called to he headmaster's office back in her school days. She kept her hands between her knees to stop herself from fidgeting, and stared at the wooden surface of the desk, noticing a few deep dents where no doubt Jack had scratched at it with the letter opener in frustration.

"It's part of the time when I was away," Jack started to explain. "Something went wrong and there was a year that never was."

"What do you mean, a year that never was, Jack?"

"It's exactly what I said, a year that never happened." He let out a frustrated huff of breath, visibly unwilling to elaborate, but Gwen knew that if she was persistent enough he would cave in, even if only slightly. So she fixed him with her best glare, silently demanding him to talk to her.

"Well, a year that actually happened, but no one remembers." Jack lifted a hand to stop the questions that were apparently clear on her face. "Let me continue. It was reversed and time corrected itself, how and why doesn't matter. The only thing that is relevant, and you need to know, is that Harold Saxon was responsible for it."

Gwen narrowed her eyes and let out a growl of frustration, fisting her hands in her lap. How typical of Jack Bloody Harkness to throw her a bone and start talking, only to turn all enigmatic on her later and answer with all these ambiguous replies that made as much sense as if he was speaking in Japanese. Less sense, actually - if he did speak in Japanese, at least Toshiko would be able to make out what he was saying.

"You're doing it again, Jack!" she shouted in frustration.

"Doing what exactly?" Jack asked, and Gwen was almost sure that he was doing it on purpose to infuriate her. She was almost sure that she could detect a note of irony in his voice.

"Shutting me out, Jack," she answered, determined to keep calm and get him to share whatever was bothering him. "I thought you trusted me! Aren't I the one you always turn to when you have some secret to share? Or did that change once you started dating Iatno?"

"Oh, don't you start with Ianto now," Jack gritted through his teeth.

"But it's the truth! You don't talk as much to me as you used to." She realised that she sounded petulant and jealous and for a moment she felt guilty towards Rhys. But she soon pushed the guilt out of her mind. It wasn't as if she was actually going to take a chance with Jack, he wouldn't even offer it. And she was still going to marry Rhys in the end, so why should she feel guilty for liking the promise of excitement that she could only dream about? Rhys was soft and safe, and a really great cook and loved her, that's why she loved him. Jack...Jack was just the unattainable dream, the dangerous, enigmatic hero that she would always worship, but never have. Still, here and now she needed answers.

"We need to know, Jack," she continued stubbornly. "Is it connected to your Doctor? Are you going to leave us without explanation all over again? Because the team deserves better, and certainly Ianto most of all."

"I said don't start on me about the team or Ianto!" Jack stood up from his chair and started to pace nervously around the confines of his small office. "You want to get some reassurance, to see if you stand a last chance before your wedding, fine. But don't turn it into a team matter!"

Gwen stood as well, not liking being put on the chair like a school girl while Jack towered over her and tried to intimidate her. She grabbed his upper arm and stopped him in his tracks, leaning over to be almost face to face with him.

"Oh, yes, it's about the team, because you have no idea what it did to all of us!" she hissed angrily at him. "You wake up from being dead , kiss Ianto, forgive Owen and then fuck right off gallivanting around the Universe. But we were the ones who had to pick up the pieces and learn to carry on without our leader and not knowing what to do. So, I'm asking you again, Jack Fucking Harkness, are you going to leave us again? Are you going to leave _me_ again?" She tried to be professional and to talk only about the team, but she couldn't help putting the last personal inquiry into it.

"If I have to," Jack said curtly, pulling his arm free. "This discussion is over now. Go back to your work, Gwen. I believe you have a phone call to the police to make."

Gwen growled angrily, trying to keep her hold on his sleeve, but losing her grip when he yanked his arm away. So the whole conversation was a waste of time, she didn't have much more information than she had before she started it. And he never really gave her many answers, bloody enigmatic git, as if he didn't have enough secrets that he was keeping from them already.

"Oh no, Jack this conversation is not over, not yet!" she hissed at him before slamming the office door with enough force to rattle and possibly crack the glass.

Gwen stormed out towards Ianto's den, intending to get him to sort out the mess with his boyfriend that he had created. It wasn't fair for the others to suffer Jack's dark moods just because Ianto was sulking somewhere and didn't want to talk to him. They were both so proud of how oh-so professional they were by not letting their personal lives impact on their job, but sometimes she was sure that it did without either of them realising it.

She passed Toshiko, who seemed once again dead to the world, buried in her binary codes or network programming or whatever it was she was doing with her tech. There were times when it made Gwen wonder if Tosh would be happier if she created herself some cyber-programmed boyfriend, because she was too socially awkward to find a real one. She instantly felt like a bitch for thinking like that and resolved to take Tosh out with her on some of her girlfriend nights out with Margaret and the girls. Maybe she could get Rhys to take Ianto out as well; God knows the boy was no less socially awkward than Tosh, despite having a partner. After all what kind of a partner for a twenty five year old man was Jack, who was their boss, about hundred years older than them and lived in a hole? Then again, Rhys, Drunken Dave and Banana Boat…maybe not. She had a feeling Ianto wouldn't think too highly of their company.

When she reached the tourist office, Gwen had a momentary twinge of doubt over disturbing her colleague and interrupting his work. He looked annoyed and too caught up in whatever report he was doing. She thought maybe it would be better to let him do whatever he was doing and go back to try and talk some more sense into Jack. At that moment her phone beeped at her and she took it out of her jeans, suddenly remembering that she was supposed to make a call to Andy and the Cardiff police station, but it could wait. The message was from Rhys and it was telling her that their apartment had suffered mild damage from the quake; the bathroom was completely ruined and would need refurbishing. She needed to make sure that Rhys was all right and to hell with calling the police and being the liaison between Jack and officials. For once, Jack would have to be diplomatic, because she was going home, and nothing short of the Rift opening again was going to stop her.

She hurried back down the lift and into the Hub and rushed towards Jack, who was talking quietly with Toshiko while she was working on her computer. It was probably about some binary code or something that would sound as alien to Gwen as the inscription on the small transport pot they had found a few days ago. The one that Ianto was still working on deciphering, not giving up, with his typical Welsh stubbornness.

"Jack, I'm going home," Gwen shouted from the cage of the entrance. She knew that he would have an objection, but in defiance of him she turned around and prepared to leave, hoping to get out before he had a chance to say anything. She even almost made it.

"What?" Jack shouted back angrily. "You can't just decide to walk out in the middle of work, especially not after such a serious case."

It was enough to make her blood boil and the fire in it flare with anger. She turned sharply back around to face the interior of the Hub and strode determinedly down the metal stairs and catwalk, her heels clattering an angry staccato not unlike the report of a continuously firing machine gun.

"Oh, you bloody hypocrite!" she yelled in Jack's face, her face almost close enough to his to brush their noses together. "You tell me to hang on to my normal life and not let it drift, you make all these excuses why you won't talk to me and tell me the truth when I ask you, because you want to protect my personal life, and then when I need to go and handle it…what do you do? You tell me I'm not being professional!"

She waved her phone angrily at her boss to emphasise her point, although with all that waving about, he most likely couldn't see what it was on the screen anyway.

"Rhys says that the house has suffered after the quake, and if I work to keep this bloody city safe, but fucking Torchwood can't keep my own house safe, then what's the point? I'm going to see Rhys now!" She finally ran out of steam, but the last was said with such finality that Jack could only nod, albeit she could see that he was still angry at her, and let her go. Without any further comment, Gwen stalked out of the Hub, not even stopping to greet Ianto in the office, before she was practically running down the street towards home.

* * *

Debora wasn't the brightest of the girls in the area, but she didn't need to be all that bright to know that she hated her job. She hated her boss as well, and even more she hated the drunken customers who came here every Saturday or Sunday to watch the rugby. Mind you, she wouldn't mind it so much if they just watched the rugby and argued lightly about the game. That would have made her job boring, but bearable. What she couldn't stand was when they lost interest in the game once they had enough to drink, and turned their interest towards her, with their dirty jokes about barmaids and frankly obscene suggestions. Not that she couldn't handle herself, of course she could, she had worked this job for long enough. Debora had even broken up some bar brawls before the city plonks had showed up, but she was just tired of dealing with them. When she dropped out of University, unable to pay the fees there any longer, and returned to Cardiff, she thought that she had left the dirty, dank pubs behind and imagined herself working as a spectacular bartender in some posh and nice night club. All she had managed until now was the last three years in 'The Dragon'.

It wasn't much, but at least it paid the rent and the bills. Sometimes there could even be the occasional cute guy who would catch her eye, and if she was lucky enough, have a little chat with while tending to him. Sometimes there would be the occasional girl too; Debora wasn't all that averse to chatting up a girl if she had no luck with a guy. Right now there was a guy that she had seen only two times before and she was trying to get his name, if only she could get across to his side of the bar and take his order instead of that bitch, Tracy. The guy wasn't anything special really, probably an English student. He was wearing an ordinary dark blue polo shirt and jeans, but she was bored enough, and single for the last six months, so everyone even a little interesting and single would be worth a shot. Of course, Tracy must have thought the same, because it looked as if she was determined to take his orders for the entire night.

Well, Debora would be damned if she let that self–absorbed blonde bitch get in her way to finally finding some excitement in her life. God knew, Tracy had already changed three boyfriends in the last few months and was only working the bar because she needed to earn money to go on a trip. Debora, on the other hand, desperately needed some reassurance that the dull job, and single life with take away in front of the telly for the last half a year, hadn't done permanent damage to her self-esteem and social skills. She excused herself from her side of the bar and pushed Tracy out of her way.

"Would you be a dear and go tend my place?" Debora asked sweetly. If her smile and voice were any sweeter, they would probably have rotted Tracy's teeth. Of course, Tracy couldn't say no, because she was almost new at the bar and Debora had been there for so long she almost ran it as a manager at the moment. God knew, the owner couldn't do it on his own or he would probably have drunk the entire bar stock of lagers and scotch, probably with some company come to drink for free.

"How may I help?" she asked the guy, finally getting near him after a week.

"A pint of Fosters and your number," the guy asked of her and she was right, he did have an English accent.

Smiling at him, she nodded and hastily scribbled her number on a piece of tissue paper before turning to comply with his order. She took a pint glass and pushed the tap to fill it with the lager.

The guy looked down at the piece of paper and smiled. It was a nice smile - a bit oversized, but she supposed he was probably out of practise himself. Maybe he had taken some time off from revising for exams at University and decided to chill out with a few pints. He didn't appear to have any company, which meant he didn't have to cut the chat in a hurry to get back to some table.

"So, Debora," he started, a bit nervously. "When do you finish tonight?"

She forgot about the tap for a moment and let go of the level, not that there appeared to be much lager coming out. Great, exactly when she wanted to impress someone, the beer barrel would run out and she would have to replace it. That was another aspect of her job that she hated, that no one bothered to make sure that the beer was properly stocked when the pub opened. If she wasn't there to check from time to time, and re-fill the barrels, none of her colleagues would do it. They'd probably prefer to say that they had ran out of beer, rather than go down to the cellar and bring a refill up. It was a man's job lifting and carrying the barrels, not a woman's, but her useless boss wouldn't even think of doing it and the others were too lazy.

"I'm sorry, it seems that you might have to wait for the Fosters," she apologised, feeling embarrassed. "I'll just be a minute and then I'll give you the pint."

They guy seemed happy enough to wait for his drink and nodded and smiled encouragingly at her, which at least worked to lift her spirits a bit. If he didn't mind waiting on the bar for something that was clearly a staff error, then maybe things could work there. That's unless Tracy got in the way while Debora was down in the cellar.

She turned around and shouted over her shoulder from the side bar door, hoping that the guy would hear her over the volume of the TV and the cheers of the rugby fans.

"Oh, and I'll be off at 11:30," she called. "But you never told me your name."

"Craig," the guy shouted back to her, grinning.

"What'd you say?" she asked, unable to hear his answer in the sudden rising noise after Wales' score.

"Craig," he yelled again. He was probably trying to be louder, but she still couldn't hear what he had said. She shook her head and thought that she would just have to ask him later, after she brought the re-fill up to the bar.

Reaching the door wasn't easy in the crowded pub; it was amazing how impractical the old idiot of a boss could be, situating the bar in the place probably the furthest away from the door to the cellar. Still, after having to weave and push her way through the throng of hot, sweaty and drunk bodies, Debora was almost grateful for the cool air of the staff stairway that led towards the cellar. She knew that once she had spent more than a couple of minutes there it would be too cold. But at the moment, even the freezing October air was better than what was inside her work-place. Reaching for the light switch in the cellar, she never managed to turn it on before the whole place shook violently. It was absolutely terrifying. She had never experienced an earthquake in the UK before. She wasn't even sure if there was such a thing as earthquakes on the island.

From what she had seen on the TV, or heard in classes, Debora knew that she should find the safest place and hide there until the earthquake was over. But if it wasn't a natural earthquake, then were the rules of safety the same? She wasn't sure and rationally she knew that she should stay where she was, because going up the stairs might be unsafe, but she was scared and didn't want to be alone here in the dark. So, taking the risk, she left the cellar without the barrel of lager. If someone wanted it they could bloody well come down here and get it themselves. Halfway up the stairs, she could hear the screams of the patrons in the bar, part of which had probably sobered up hastily, and objects falling down the shelves and smashing. It seemed that as fast as the quake had started, it stopped, because suddenly she couldn't hear any noise and the place stilled eerily.

She pushed the door open, and it felt as if she had walked through another door into an unfamiliar room. Gone was the large plasma TV showing the rugby, and in its place was a small black and white TV, with a rounded screen. The patrons seemed just as drunk as the ones she had pushed through earlier, but now they were dressed like her granddad in the pictures her mum had spread around the house. It was like some kind of surreal dream. Debora was almost sure that something must have hit her during the earthquake and knocked her down. Only, she seemed real. She was still wearing her pub uniform, not an outfit like her granny's. The logo of 'The Dragon' was still pinned over the head of the bartenders. But the bar was smaller and there was only one barman, who was filling pints with lager with such a sour expression that it would have curdled the milk, if someone had actually ordered cappuccino.

Her legs felt weak and she started to shake under the shock. Squishing the desire to call out and see if anyone would hear her and tell her what was going on, Debora made her way towards the door, moving as inconspicuous as she could, while on the very edge of starting to hyperventilate. She thought that maybe she should actually call for attention and try to find what had happened to her, but she was scared that if she did someone would hear her and answer, and that would make it real.

Later, when after the earthquake was over, and Debora Willies failed to show up from the cellar with the barrel of lager, her boss would go down and find her standing there, staring sightlessly at the opposite wall, without any recognition or reaction to him or anyone who tried to talk to her.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **I'm sorry for the really infrequent updates to all of my stories, but real life just has to take a priority. Also I apologise for this not being beta read, but my beta is not well and I do not wish to give her more things to do. Hope is not too bad and could be read without being beta-ed.

* * *

It was 17:45 at the Cardiff Castle, well it was the same time all over Cardiff, or at least it should have been, but Bryant Evans had heard some strange stories about the Castle being with a couple of minutes behind of the rest of Wales. Of course it was a big load of bullshit that the Cardiff Tourist Office sprout, in Bryant humble opinion, just to attract tourists, but when you are a guard you hear some strange things. Especially when you do night shifts, he was sure that once he had seen something that wasn't really a student prank but no one would have believed him. Even if he told them about the tall stranger with the flashy smile and swishy coat, despite the fact that Torchwood was a very public secret. Still no one knew what they really did, only that they showed when something 'spooky do' like, in the words of his cousin Andy, happened.

Bryant looked at his watch again and wondered if he should go and do one last patrol of the Castle's premises. His shift was ending in fifteen minutes and he really hoped that the night shift would come for once on time because he had promised his daughter to go to her school concert this time. It was his last chance to show to his ex-wife and his daughter, who soon would graduate from secondary school and most likely go to a college out of Cardiff, that he had changed. He wasn't the loser he used to be when he had his drinking problem and he had managed to keep this job for over six months now, the last step was to show them that he could keep his word and go to the concert as promised. He had been clean off alcohol for over a year, and the fact that Andy had found him this job had turned his life around in the right direction again, all he needed was the trust of his family back.

17:55 and his colleague of the night shift still wasn't here, Bryant growled frustrated knowing that the boy would be late again and he would most likely be late to his daughter's concert. Hopefully the boy wouldn't be late with more than a few minutes and he would still be able to make it to the school by six-thirty when the concert begins. Just in time is better than nothing. Hopefully the boy wouldn't be late with more than a few minutes and he would still be able to make it to the school by six-thirty when the concert begins. Just in time is better than nothing. He wished he could tell the boy off, or at least complain to the office but he didn't dare risk his job, because he was aware how hard it was to find a job, and especially with his record of drunk driving and other minor offences, for which even having a relative in the nick didn't help him. So Bryant kept his head down and gritted his teeth tight when a boy half his age came late to work, hungover, or bossed him around.

A strange sound coming from behind one of the locked doors of the Castle made his decision about the last round of the castle. He didn't want to be late, but he was there to work and he had to do his work. It could have been just an animal, but he couldn't risk it being something else. Gripping his torch more as a weapon than to illuminate his way he approached the door silently. Bryant really hoped that he wouldn't have to do anything than shoo some stray fox away, because he wasn't trained in any combat and he wasn't a hero, despite him being a security this job was supposed to be a nice and safe one. Nearing the door he could hear some really old fashioned music, the kind of which he was sure he had heard only in his ex-wife's Medieval period movies. The hope of it being as easy and kicking a fox out flew right out the window and his guts tightened with fear. Bryant was almost ready to take out his mobile and call Andy and his colleagues in the police when he neared the window and looked through it; there was nothing in the room, just the dark and some dusty furniture. Sighing heavily and giving a self- deprecating huff, then straightened and tried the handle of the door. All these spooky stories had started to play on his imagination and the fact that it was in the middle of October and at this time was already dark didn't help.

He looked at his watch, 18:00, and the night shift still wasn't here, so he wasn't going to make it to his daughter's school, but at least his interest was picked now. The door give in and Bryant wondered why haven't he noticed that he didn't lock it on his closing round. Stepping inside the room was as if going through the wardrobe into Narnia. He span hurriedly around shocked by the sudden noise, brilliant candlelight and swirling colourful gowns and clacks. Dancing, heavy powdered bodies bumped at him and women with beehive like hair and rough cheeks pouted at him, while their dancing partners gave him dark looks for daring to stay in their ways. Feeling panicked and claustrophobic, Bryant ran out the door breathing heavily. Only after he leaned on the wall outside and caught his breath he realised that he was the guard of that place and should have done something. Gripping his torchlight determinedly and switching it on, he made his way inside with the idea of breaking this silly students joke, that now that he calmed down was almost obvious that the boy of the night shift had to had made for him. Why would have he been late exactly today, when all this happened. Bryant was furious because he was sure that he told the boy about his daughter's performance this evening, so why did he had to do this now? Maybe any other day and could have even seen the joke in it. The room was quiet, dark and absolutely inconspicuous. Something that didn't help calm him any, after all the pandemonium he would have been much more reassured if he found the dancing couples and had to shout his way through them. Starting to breathe heavily again, Bryant shone his torch around the room with nervous jerking movements. His hands were shaking uncontrollably and he could feel the sticky feeling of perspiration covering his back and running down his neck in a thin cold sheet.

Nothing changed in the room but he could hear the rustle of clothing behind him, turning around he couldn't see anything, the space behind him was as dark and lifeless as the room Bryant was in.

* * *

Gwen ran all the way to her apartment building and stopped at the entrance, looking up at the building. It didn't seem to have sustained too much of a damage on the façade, but she knew that her bathroom at least was ruined, or so Rhys had let her know, very vocally. She waited a bit to catch her breath and not let Rhys know that she had run worried for him the moment he sent a message. He might start getting ideas.

After leaning on the brick wall and taking a deep, steady breath she straightened her appearance and put the key in the door. Gwen was surprised to see her hand shaking and the key missing the keyhole. She knew that Rhys must be ok since he had texted her, and then called her to rant about the apartment, still she worried that she would find him hurt. Finally opening the door and entering she made a dash on the stairs not caring anymore if it will give Rhys any ideas about her being too needy, she just needed to reach him and see for herself. Before she could even try to open the door, it flew open and she was enveloped in a tight hug with face full of cotton shirt and a handful of Rhys.

"You are alright, pet!" Rhys exclaimed happily tightening his hold on her further.

Gwen spluttered and tried to pull herself off, but it only served to make Rhys squeeze. When she finally managed to wriggle her hands between the two of them and push away from Rhys' chest, although still securely held in his arms, Rhys looked at her questioningly.

"Not that I don't appreciate a snuggle with you, love, but I need to breath you know," she said grinning at him showing the full brilliance of the tooth gap in her smile. "'Course I'm alright, you called me just a few minutes ago. You are the one that I was worried about."

She pulled off and hit him playfully on the arm. Gwen looked around the room with trepidation of what she was going to see, expecting upturned furniture and smaller or smashed objects splattered all over the place, however, the place didn't look all that bad. There was the damage to the kitchen window, which Rhys had informed her about, she could see it through the open plan living room. The whole glass plate was gone and Rhys had very skilfully replaced it with cartoon boxes. She had to smile despite the fact that it was going to cost them a fortune and had evidently pissed Rhys enough that he had called her.

"Of course I was worried," Rhys said sounding a bit irritated. "We never get earthquakes in Cardiff, maybe a few weeks ago I was gonna believe this, but not now. I was sure it was one of yours. Ya know some alien or something, or that Captain Flash of yours."

Gwen's grin became even wilder despite the situation and the fact that she was yet to see the supposedly ruined bathroom. Rhys had found about aliens a few weeks ago and instead of running away screaming the first time something strange happens and he isn't around Torchwood, he worried about her and rants about Jack. Bless him.

"What are you smilin' at?" Rhys admonished trying to stay stern but she could see a smile creeping over his lips.

"You," Gwen said keeping the smile on and hitting her fiancé playfully on his arm. "I better do that before I see the bathroom."

That was the sobering moment remaining them that she had just left work not because she just couldn't wait to see him and kiss him hello, she needed to assess the damage. At least the worry about Rhys, that was the reason behind her mad dash at home, was out of the way now with him standing in front of her and looking pretty annoyed.

"Yeah, the bathroom 's ruined, and who is going to have to take days off and work on it?" Rhys stared on one of his patented rants. Instead of chastising her, Gwen's grin grew in volume and she tried to stifle a snigger. _Rhys the rant, indeed. Oh, how she loved him._

"You are doin' it again, Gwen," he huffed at her sounding something in between annoyed, resigned and amused.

Gwen's only answer was to grab his shirt in her fists and pull him into a passionate kiss.

"Shut up," she said grinning when they brock up the kiss for the need of air. "Don't ever let me forget how much I love you. We will work it out, is just the bathroom."

"Jus' the bathroom?" Rhys prepared himself for another complain, but the grin on his fiancé's face stopped him with his mouth hanging open; before giving in and placing one more sound kiss on her lips. It was so rare to see her gazing at him so adoringly and grinning genuinely happy ever since she left the police, so Rhys just couldn't help but go along with what she wished to do at moments like this.

"Do you want some lunch before heading back to Captain America and saving the world?" Rhys asked her over his shoulders while making his way towards the kitchen.

Still grinning happily, Gwen nodded, and then remembered that Rhys was turned with his back to her and couldn't see her.

"I'd love to," she shouted in answer and followed him taking a bottle of wine from the liquor shelf and two glasses from the kitchen.

She found Rhys dishing out shepherd's pie that smelled divine, and once again counted her lucky stars and decided that she was a blessed girl. She helped him put the plates and glasses on the table and opened the wine.

"Are you sure you should be drinking this? You are technically still on duty, love," Rhys commented pointing at the bottle with his fork, but didn't look like he was going to protest too much on having a nice lunch and a glass with her. Gwen just smiled but didn't grace his question with an answer, they both knew that she shouldn't, but they also both knew that when Gwen's rebellious streak was at work not amount of reasoning would work. And by the look of it, she had an argument with her boss and now was going to rebel, even if it was just a little petty thing like having a small glass of wine.

"I've talked to Banana Boat and decided on him as a best man for the wedding," Rhys said effectively changing the subject to something more private and pleasant to him than Gwen's job and boss.

"Banana Boat?" Gwen spluttered and put her fork in the plate hastily to grab the glass with wine and flash the food that was threatening to chock her stuck in her throat. "No, way! The God sent to any single woman in Cardiff?" Rhys could hear the quote marks in Gwen's words perfectly clear. "Don't you have any better option?"

Rhys shrugged, knowing his friends; Banana Boat was really the least evil. Whoever else he would propose to be his best man, Gwen would have something to say about.

"Well, there is always Fat Johnny, or Stuttering Phil, or maybe Drunken Dave? Pick any one of them then. "

Gwen looked with horror at Rhys and then just burst laughing needing another large gulp of wine the wash more dangerous food down her throat before it got stuck there. She knew that she shouldn't discuss matter like this with Rhys over a meal, but they had hardly had a time to talk for an extend amount of time otherwise.

"Yeah, maybe you are right. Banana Boat is the least worse man," she said grinning.

"Yeah, 'e is. An' 's not like Margaret 's any better as bride's -mate of honour. If you don't remember she used to date Banana Boat."

"Yes, an' she is going to regretted it for life." Gwen shook her head and took another mouthful of shepherd's pie, washing it down with the wine. There was a moment in which felt a bit guilty for drinking while on duty, but she was at home, and lately Jack was making her feel as if she was on duty all the time. She needed to feel normal at her home.

She looked briefly at her finger framed by the diamond ring and wondered if she was going to regret her choices later the same way as Margaret? She made her choice, because really who else was there when Jack was away, but now she wasn't sure that it was the right one. When she saw the look on Jack's face the moment he spotted the ring. Gwen was sure that there was a moment in which she could have given him a chance, if only he had asked her out. Instead, he had complimented her on her engagement and she had to keep believing that she was content with her choice.

She lifted her head, and noticed that Rhys was talking about something, but she hadn't heard a word of it. Luckily, Rhys hadn't noticed her faraway look either and was going on and on about whatever he was talking about. Either that, or he was becoming really good at pretending that he didn't notice his fiancé not paying him attention and daydreaming about more exciting things than a lunch at home.

Gwen's phone beeped on the table alerting her to the fact that Torchwood once again needed her, and Jack Harkness wasn't going to wait for her to finish her domestic meal before dragging her off around the city chasing after monsters.

She jumped from the table and grabbed her leather jacket, giving Rhys a hurried kiss.

"I'm sorry, but I've got to go. Love you."

"One day, Gwen, one day, you will come back and I won't be here. Then you will notice that there is more than work in your life."

Her face fell but she didn't dare turning around because if she did, she wasn't sure that she could leave the place. And despite her feelings and regrets Torchwood needed her. With one last whispered, 'Sorry,' Gwen dashed down the stairs and cursed her earlier decision not to use the car coming to the apartment.

It was drizzling outside so she pulled her jacket on and snuggled into it. Ianto kept on telling her that this jacket wasn't suitable for all weather purposes especially in the rainy October days, however, she was not going to part with it too easily. It snuggled the curves of her upper body in just the right way and she could see it in the eyes of her male colleagues. Even in Ianto's gaze however much he tried to look impartial to her looks. She smiled and lifted her head up letting a few tiny rain drops to fall on her face. The rain was cold but not stinging, and it wasn't that heavy either, she thought that she might just be able to make it to the Hub before it starts to fall heavily.

Her phone beeped urgently again, and she discovered an address into the message, apparently Jack had taken the team out to the scene before Gwen could come back. The address was of a pub called 'The Dragon', just off the Wyeverne Road. So, not a quick dash to the Hub before it had started raining then, she stepped out and ran quickly to the neared big road to haul a taxi, wondering what the case this time would be and if Owen wasn't just making a joke on her seeing as it was a pub.


End file.
